Can we talk about rice cookers?
I've always made rice in a pot on the stove and that's served me very well but I also like to steam vegetables, dumplings (usually from frozen), and eat oats for breakfast. After a bit of research, I've determined that I'm in the market for a rice cooker, an appliance I have never owned and have 0 experience with. Like most kitchen gadgets, I find that the market is oversaturated with options and my attempts at research have led me to some wildly different conclusions. Do I stick with brands I know like Cuisinart or KitchenAid? Do I spring for the fancy Japanese brands? Or do I cheap out and then upgrade when the device burns out? How large of a volume do I need? Are the fancy steamer inserts worth it? What if I want to steam rice and veges in one go? And so on
For my personal use case, I make rice 3-4 times per week easily. I need to be able to make enough rice for 4-6 adults max in one sitting. I would like to make a decent amount of dumplings in one go, say enough to get 4-6 adults started while I steam a second round. I want to be capable of steaming veggies and making oats. I want it to have a removable insert for cleaning. I'd like it to be fairly easy to use. Are these common wishlist items for a rice cooker? I am really not sure
Beyond my use case, I'm interested in what people own and use. Do you use it often? Any regrets? What other foods can I make with this gadget?
Edit: I appreciate everyone who has weighed in so far. I did want to add that I prefer not to add an instant pot. Not to discount anyone's experience but I have had bad luck with them (I've had a pair that burned out in the warranty period, one on its first use) and already have a slow cooker and pressure cooker cooker I am very happy with. I know they're amazing and do all kinds of different things but I'm interested primarily in a rice cooker that can handle a few extra tasks
Buy this specific model if you can.
There are fancier ones on the market but they're honestly overkill and the premium isn't worth it. This particular one is recommended by America's Test Kitchen and I've had it for over a decade so I can personally endorse it. It makes perfect rice each and every time. The company is insanely reliable and they sell replacement parts in the rare event you were to break one of the parts, which I assume is because a bomb went off in your home. Or maybe you just accidentally lost the paddle holder when you were cleaning it, I guess. I can't find out exactly when they first released this model, but the earliest I can find is 2005, so it's essentially timeless at this point.
One thing to be aware of, though, is that it takes longer to make rice with this than most others. Let me assure you that it is worth the wait. The rice I cook in this is somehow sweeter and the texture has that lightly toothsome quality instead of turning things into mush. The wait is especially bad for brown rice, which I swear takes more than an hour!
It's also not going to have a steamer tray with it. I don't think this is a huge problem though, since the long cook times will make mushy veggies. If you only need to steam veggies I typically do that in a pan with a bit of water and a lid, which gets the job done much quicker.
If you really want a machine that does a bunch of things, get an Instant Pot. It won't make rice as good, but it'll make good enough rice very quickly. I actually use mine to make brown rice more often than I do the zojiroushi because of this. I'll recommend the Instant Pot Pro 6QT because it has one killer feature: a removable inner pot with silicon handles that you can use in your stove or oven. There are newer models in this series but they are all "smart cookers" which is something to avoid in my house.
I have a fancier Zojirushi rice cooker that has separate settings for brown and GABA brown rice. The first takes roughly an hour and a half, while the latter takes over three.
That said, I'm seconding the Neuro Fuzzy choice. It's in that sweet spot of cost, reliability, and cooked rice quality.
My one big gripe with Zojirushi rice cookers is that they exclusively sell teflon non-stick pots for them, with no options for stainless steel or even ceramic. There are third-party options but they often aren't the exact same dimensions as the authentic pots and don't cook the rice as well as a result. Worse still, the teflon has a tendency to degrade over time, especially if you wash your rice in it (this seems to be a well-documented issue online). So you ideally want to wash your rice in one pot and then transfer it over to the rice cooker pot after, which is just silly.
That being said, I do really like my own Zojirushi cooker. I have a family-sized cooker imported from Japan (their Japanese lineup is of better quality than their western versions, even within the same models, but it's not a huge deal) and it serves us really well. It's by far my most used cooking appliance besides my wok and cast iron skillet.
Yeah, it does degrade. Any teflon cookware is temporary. You can buy a replacement from them but it's kind of expensive.
Do most people wash their rice in an actual pot? I've always washed mine in a strainer/sieve and then once it runs clear I would put it directly in the bowl. Saves wasting a bowl, the sieve just gets a quick rinse and it's clean again, and then you're not potentially damaging the Teflon coating.
Correct answer, close the thread.
Easiest. Kitchen. Gadget.
Best. Kitchen. Gadget.
LPT: nobody really needs an appliance to burn bread, but everyone needs a Zojirushi rice cooker.
We went even one model below that, with the NS-WXC10, and while I'd sometimes like a "I'm done" ding, and a countdown display would be handy, I'm a big proponent of the fewer components = fewer breaks philosophy and don't miss not having a display.
Perfect rice. Every time. HD rice, we call it. We use our Zojirushi probably eight times a week. Churns out great porridge, too.
Strongly agree on Zojirushi. I have the NS-WAC-10 model that Target carries, which is a little bit less fancy, but still a micom type one that produces good results. (I got it with a bunch of Target gift card money, or I might have opted for the other model.)
I'd describe it as the perfect rice you get at a restaurant, every time.
A couple of other notes:
They play a little song when they're done. This is very important. It ensures your rice is as happy as the cooker.
They have timers, like coffee makers. You can rinse your rice and get it ready, and tell it you want it done at a specific time. (This is very helpful if you want to have fresh rice in the morning to pack with lunch, if you bring lunches to work or school.)
Omfg my rice cooker has a TIMER?!
I came through the comments explicitly looking to find out if it plays music. I have a cheap rice cooker that I'm waiting on to give up the ghost, and getting one that plays music when the rice is done is an absolute essential feature as soon as I need a replacement. Thank you for including that detail. 😂
A good chunk of Zojirushi cookers play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when you start them up, and Amaryllis when they finish. You can disable that, but I have a hypothesis that people that do that hate fun in general.
Also, Samsung washing machines play Schubert's Die Forelle when the load is done. (I'd pay extra for the ability to load my own MIDI files onto my appliances. Then I could change it up with a little Nyan Cat or somesuch now and then.)
🎵 Starting to make rice right now, come back later when it's done
How do you do brown rice in the instant pot?? I'll have to try that.
Literally just 1:1 rice to water. Select the brown rice setting and when it beeps it's ready to eat.
My experience is that rice cookers that also do other things are not as good at cooking rice. I have an 8 quart Instant Pot that I use for stews, chili, and other slow-cooking and pressure cooking tasks, but it makes fairly mediocre rice, and so I have a dedicated Zojirushi rice cooker as well, which makes fantastic rice. It also means that I can have the main dish and the rice cooking simultaneously without any fuss.
...can't go wrong with any zojirushi, really, and they offer models catering to every segment of the market depending upon how simple or sophisticated you want to get with the feature set...
...conversely, you can go very wrong with cuisinart or kitchen-aid, and the performance difference is profound, but they'll still get the job done if you don't really care about the quality of your rice; it's all edible...
Get an instant pot, essentially the same thing, makes *perfect" rice, and is made for making everything. I use this to cook stews, soups, mince and tatties, beef stroganoff (my favorite) and a lot more from frozen meat, and I will have a complete meal in about 30minutes after pressurization. Rice cooking takes about 5-10minutes, which is perfect for when I make spam musabi.
I'm going to offer a counterpoint here -- unless they've changed since I bought one a while back, the instant pot does not have a non-stick coating on the inner pot, and a good non-stick coating makes a HUGE difference when it comes to cleaning a rice pot.
An instant pot is good if you want a crock pot/pressure cooker, so if you'll use the other settings it can still be worth it for rice. I personally owned both at the same time and would use the instant pot for a dish and then make the rice in a dedicated rice cooker. But you can steam vegetables in a much simpler rice cooker, so someone looking for something cheaper or who won't use the other functions can still safely buy something else.
I'll point out an unmentioned benefit of using a pressure cooker for rice: the pressure will knock out B. cereus spores, meaning that whole "don't let your rice leftovers warm up" thing is moot.
I love my Instapot knock-off (Cosori) for rice. 26 min cycle start to finish, 3+ cups uncooked rice capacity, easy to clean.
I'm not sure if instapot uses its pressure cooking functionality when set to cook rice tbh -- it doesn't do so on every function, since it can be used as a traditional slow cooker too. That is a bonus I guess, but I find putting my leftover rice in the fridge a lot more convenient than cleaning the inner pot of an instapot after cooking rice.
I would think it does as it needs to depressurise afterwards from what I remember.
My Cosori definitely uses pressure for the rice setting, FWIW
The basic $20 rice cooker is fine for just making rice. The fancier ones will make the rice fluffier, have built in timers, different settings for different types of rice or doing other sorts of things like making mochi or oatmeal. But if all you want is something for rice and rice is a sometimes thing then you can go cheaper just fine. (If you eat rice all the time then it’s worth springing for a fancier one.)
Also, obligatory article any time rice cookers are mentioned.
Yeah, I'm actually really surprised by all of the other suggestions - I bought a small rice cooker from some random Asian supply store for like $20 9 years ago and the thing is trucking along just fine. I think dialing in the precise amount of rice and water is the important part, so maybe also pick up a kitchen scale. The basic rice cookers have no moving parts and are dead simple commodity appliances. They're markedly simpler than toasters and I wouldn't even go out of my way to buy a fancy toaster.
Also the convenience of even a cheap rice cooker is great, so little counter space for a set it and forget it device. It takes care of one part of the carbs + veg + protein that makes up most meals and going from juggling 3 things to 2 things during it's surprising how much it helps.
I don't own an instant pot, but I do own a rice cooker. I mainly just use it for rice, but I also use it for quinoa and steaming vegetables and dumplings. Mostly, it's nice to throw some rice and water in there, and be able to walk away and focus on something else.
If you're not getting an instant pot like everyone else has recommended, I suggest you just start with a cheap $15-20 rice cooker from Walmart. You'll either use it a lot, in which case, you can buy a better one or just keep using that. Or you'll find that it doesn't upgrade your workflow enough be worth the counterspace and then you'll be glad you only spent $20 on it.
Agreed. I've tested my cheap Sunbeam rice cooker against a Zojirushi, and it works perfectly. Though it automatically switches off "cook" to "warm," I've found its best to turn it off entirely soon after, rather than warm too long. Otherwise, it does everything you've mentioned and does have a steaming rack.
Aghh: the Sunbeam doesn't appear to be made anymore and is considered "vintage." I formally protest. Now that I think about it, we did buy it 20 year ago or so. I suppose you could look for this at flea markets, garage sales, or auctions. It was 15-20 USD originally.
I've been hearing things about Cuckoo for their rice cookers, but I haven't used them before.
Tbh I would go against the grain (heh) against the instant pot. For some reason every time I make brown rice specifically it always messes it up and is too watery or not good enough. Not sure if it's user error (it probably is) but I'd rather just have a normal steamer or rice cooker tbh. (As an Asian American I eat a lot of rice. Those are my only credentials on this matter)
I agree on the instant pot. My impression (which is admittedly not worth much, having never owned one) is it is jack of all trades, master of none. It might make sense if you want a pressure cooker, crock pot, and rice cooker but don't have room or a budget for all three, but if all you want is good rice then a dedicated rice cooker is probably going to serve you better.
For close to 2 decades I used an ancient department store pot-style cook+warm rice cooker (which was a wedding gift, I believe) and was pretty happy with it, until a couple years ago we replaced it with a Cuckoo (the 6-cup red one on Amazon) and let me tell you I friggin' love that thing. Simple to use, perfect rice every time, no sticking, no fuss, barely needs a rinse afterwards to get it clean... Best rice-related purchase I've ever made that isn't rice.
like everybody else on earth,I have this fancy instant pot* that does everything but your taxes. Four minutes high pressure then a natural release for ten minutes --- perfect every time. That's definitely the way I'd go.
its also a steamer, but I haven't tried that part yet. I wouldnt do your vegetables and rice in the same thing, though. It'll absolutely destroy them.
* Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer and Electric Pressure Cooker Combo
I own a yum-Asia panda. It is for up to 3 cups of rice. There are larger variants for big families. I also have an instant pot. The rice cooker I think does rice subtly better than the instant pot, but also is much smaller and easier to fit in a canned kitchen. Somehow I find the instant pot more effort, although maybe that’s just psychological? It also is helpful to have both for when you have used the instant pot to make a dish that needs rice as a side…
I have steamed veg in it, but it’s quite small for that tbh, and it takes a different amount of time for rice so it’s not set and forget otherwise your veg will be overdone. I’ve done quinoa in it to really good effect as well.
Eventually I will try other more exciting things, but for now that suits me.
If I were you and had a big kitchen, and want to be able to experiment with other things, get an instant pot and see if it suits you. If you prefer a smaller simpler gadget because of a cramped kitchen then go for a rice cooker. I like the yum Asia one.
I own both a rice cooker and an instant pot and while you can make rice in an instant pot, I wouldn't get one specifically for it. I was also very against getting a rice cooker for much of the same reasons you were (cooking rice in a pot is easy), but my wife and daughter wanted one and I have to admit it is easier and more consistent. The best thing about it is probably that because it is so simple, it takes away any sort of mental load that cooking rice already had since it essentially can't get over done and its timer is built in.
I don't use the instant pot as much as I used to, but the only time I use it for rice is when I am cooking other things (usually meat of some sort) with the rice at the same time.
Edit: I forgot to mention any brands. I've used the fancy zojiroushi, and it's super nice, but I find that the very inexpensive 4 cup model from Aroma with the timer (usually around $40 or so) does everything I need and is very consistent.
My wife got a cheap used rice cooker for $10 after she moved to the US for college. I wish I remembered the brand of it because it worked great for 8+ years on a very regular basis (at least 3 times a week).
I've always wanted a fancy rice cooker but I've always been served well by a cheaper no frills attached rice cooker. We currently have a Midea rice cooker that was relatively cheap that has a simple switch between cook and warm
My parents are Vietnamese so this is not a gadget, but a basic necessity. And me and my wife often cook east-Asian dishes (Japanese / Vietnamese / Chinese / Fillipono / Korean).
So far I've lived all my life with basic cook/warm rice cookers (the type that delights Alec from Technology Connections). It cooks good enough white rice in 20-ish minutes, free your attention in the kitchen to cook other things, cheap enough to replace when the non-stick pot lose its non-stickiness; after 5 years of weekly usage mine is loosing about a quarter/half bowl of rice on the stickiness altar if we try get the rice out of the cooker just after it sets itself to "warm" (leaving the rice for a little while decrease the stickiness, but this is inconsistent).
Lately we decided to splurge on a fancy rice cooker (we do eat a good amount of rice). No Zojirushi because there's no reseller in Switzerland. But there do sell Cuckoo here, and I assumed Korean also know how to make decent rice, so we bought a CRP-ST06f from Cuckoo. This is one of the expensive model (but not the most expensive) that also act as a pressure-cooker-lite.
First test with some koshihikari ("sushi rice") with the "hot pressure" mode (40-ish minutes ?): Hot damn, this is good ! It has a glossier appearance, and it's more sticky than with our old rice cooker. Anecdotally, it's closer to the rice we tasted in restaurant and/or in Japan* and perfect to eat with chopsticks (virtually no stray grains).
*my 2 trips there radicalized me: regular jasmine rice is fine, but Koshihikari is Za Superioru Rice(tm)
Speaking of jasmine rice: it's good (also a little stickier) but somehow not as noticeable than with japanese rice.
There's also a non-high pressure mode where the rice cooker acts like a more regular one. The results are very similar my previous rice cooker. And there's a "express mode" (15 minutes) that outputs a still ok but noticeable drier rice (not dry enough for a fried rice but close).
One downside I found is that's it's quite voluminous (but still manageable). Oh and it talks. And in English it has that Tik Tok feminine voice. Maybe I should set it in Korean just for the lulz.
Most cheap rice cookers will do the job fine, they are pretty hard to mess up unless you put a vast amount of incorrect water in with the rice. Rinse the rice first in a strainer/sieve to get the starch off.
With that said, I treated myself to a Zojirushi and I have 0 regrets. Rolls Royce of the rice cooker industry. 11/10 would recommend.
I own a Tiger JAX-T and it works well, used several years, Japanese and basmati rice.
Also have an instant pot that works well but I’ve never used it for rice
I have a small Black and Decker rice cooker. This is my first American one, as my past one, which I somehow lost during a move, was a more traditional-looking Asian rice cooker (I'm Asian) with the hinged lid that locked into place. Though even that was pretty inexpensive.
But honestly? This little Black & Decker works just fine. The linked one is a smaller version, which is perfect since I'm a SINK. I don't need to cook tons of rice at once. Also a lot easier to clean compared to my former Asian rice cooker. It's served me well for like 6yrs now.
I have a $30(?) Aroma rice cooker that has lasted me ~8 years at this point, and shows no signs of stopping. We use it about once or twice a week to make 1 cup (dry) of rice, which is about 4 servings once cooked. It takes ~30-45 mins to make rice, so I start it as the first step before I get anything else out to cook.
The only thing to remember is to keep it clean, and I’d make sure you look up how to do that. I didn’t realize one of the lid pieces was removable, and when I eventually did make that realization it was a bit gross from all the trapped mousture.
When I move next, I’m planning on getting a Tiger or Zojirushi.
Ive got a really old Aroma with a (aluminum?) pot and I hate this thing so much but I keep forgetting to experiment with the instant pot.
I have no idea where this thing came from, its ancient and works but the rice comes out both mushy and dry somehow and it always burns at the bottom.
I love electric rice cookers and have used many over the years. However, I bought a donabe and I absolutely love it. The only thing that makes it slightly less convenient is you need to turn the heat off once you see steam coming out, whereas an electric cooker will shut off automatically. Otherwise, it is genuinely just as easy.
You get perfectly sticky, plump rice every time. I have literally never had rice come out of the donabe overcooked or undercooked. I like it because it gives me a bit more control over what I'm doing with my rice. If I want some nice crispy bottoms, I just leave it a minute or two longer before killing the heat. It is probably just cognitive bias on my part, but I feel like the rice tastes even better from the donabe — individual grains retain their integrity and the aroma is really enhanced. Little things, but they certainly help!
Going beyond basic rice, there is a whole host of donabe recipes out there. To be fair, a lot are things you could do with a rice cooker as well. I often will make cumin rice as a side for curries, or will make orange butter rice to spruce up a basic white rice side. When scallop pieces are discounted at the fish counter, I buy them up and make scallop rice. Daikon rice, taro root, etc. There's a lot you can do! You can also use it as a great vessel for making soups and stews. Since it is made of clay, it distributes heat quite well and holds that heat — once you get it hot you can turn the burner down to very low and still maintain a strong, even simmer. There are specialized donabe for soups and stews that are wider, but I have successfully used my double-lid one for plenty of soups. Some other practical advantages are that it lives on the stove, so it won't be taking up counter space when you're cooking, and there are no internal electronics to break. It's just a clay pot!
Ultimately if you want an electric rice cooker, this is not a perfect substitute. But for me, I think getting the donabe just encouraged/inspired me to learn about how to cook with it, which then led me to really expanding the types of meals I cook regularly. It's just plain fun to cook with.
I've got a Hamilton Beach rice cooker that I love, which I'm worried is on its last legs, to be honest. I've had it for almost 10 years, and we make rice weekly with it. Once it finally dies, I will definitely get myself another rice cooker, and it will likely either be a Tiger or Zojirushi. I make various kinds of rice and often make whole rice cooker meals in the thing, so it's important to have one that is more customizable than the basic on/off cookers. I'm not an Instant Pot person, but my MIL is, and she loves hers. I could always borrow hers if I wanted to mess around with one.
I'm in the same position as you, I've been thinking about getting a rice cooker but I don't know where to start. I've read the whole thread, and I feel no closer to knowing what to go with 😂
I grew up with a rice cooker like this one and I would highly starting this one since it is simple, easy to use, and easy to clean. Only downside, it has one function, to turn on to make rice.
When I moved in with my husband, we had to cook rice over a stove and I got good at cooking rice over the stove to the point I had internal rice clock timer. My husband was always amazed that we would sit on the couch, and I would just remark that rice is done. No timer or anything.
Currently, I have a nice one, Neuro fuzzy zojiriushi that is heavily used for last 4 years. I find rice cooker easier to cook for large batch of people and I can plan my cooking ahead of time. I can reliably cook rice, step outside to walk the dog or run errands. Come home to bowl of rice, and quickly make a main dish of some sort.